Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-06-30
KENTUCKY VENDETTA.
The sheriff and Posse XIII the Desperadoes Who
Have Terrorized Rowan Counto Ky, and
Killed Tyenfy.one People.

The sheriff and Posse XIII the Desperadoes Who
Have TerrOrized Rowan Counto KY, and
Killed Tyenty.one People.
A dispatch from Louisville, KY. gives
| the outlines OF vendetta oatrages, such as
| are unknown in other sections, but are
quite in keeping on the dark and bloody"
soil OF old Kentucky: In August, 1884,
| after a heated election contest, Cook
| Humphreys was elected sheriff oil Rowan
| county by At majority over Sam
uel Goodwin. During the canvass many
animosities were sngendered, the Martins
allying themselves with the Humphreys
and the Tallivers with the Goodwins.
Craig Talliyer, the leader Of the latter fac.
| ton swore after tho election that Hum
| phreys should never ride Rowan county as
sheriff. Since that date life after life has
| been offered on the alter oihatred and bad
blood with increasing frequency despite the
best efforts OF the judiciary and militia,
backed by the strong arm OF the state gov
eminent. The names OF the victims in the
order killed are as follows:
Solomon Bradley, John Martin, White
| Pelfrey, B. Caudelle, Deputy Sheriff Baum
gardner, Mason Keeton, John hiarl1w,
John Davis, Wiley, Tolliver, q railroad
employ named Witcher, Willie Logan,
Ben Rayburn. John Day. Floyd
J Tolliver, a party whose name is not re-
| m~embered, besides the two recent victims,
John b. Logan and w. II. Logan, and
Craig Tolliver, Bud Tolliver, Jay Tolliyer
aud Hiram Cooper.
The fight was at Moorhead between q
| sheriff's posse and the Tolliver gang. Sheriff
Hog, presumably acting under instruc-
| tions from the state authorities, has been
for a week organizing q posse for the
purpose OF arresting Craig Tolliver. Tolli-
yer had received intimations Of this, and
his party, consisting OF about ten men,
were quite v~igilant, and went heavily
armed. The sheriff finally decided to at
| tempt the arrest of the assassins Wednes-
day, June 22, in the day time, and
to prevent any women, children or
inofiensivo citizens from being killed
by accident at an early hour this
morning people living on the line OF the
railroad within two or three miles OF More
| head on each side OF the tow were notified
to stop all trains and inform the onduct
ors what was going on in the forehead, SO
| that the passengers and train men would
| not be placed in danger.
Sheriff Hogs band OF resolute men, num-
| bering probably more than W hundred,
| suddenly appeared at Morehead about 3
| o'clock this evening. ACCORDION was first es-
tablished around the entire town in the
brush, where tho men could not be seen.
The sheriff then entered the tow at the
head OF about one hundred well-armed
men. Craig Tolliver and his ten followers
Immediately retreated to the Cot
tage hotel, which they had prev
| fously barricaded IN such a manner
rs to make It quite n formidable fortiG-
cation. Sheriff Hogg then notified Tolliyer
that he had warrants for the arrest OF all
| the men implicated in the killing of the
Logan boys and asked that they all sub
nit peaceably to arrest. Tolliver's reply
was that neither he nor his
hat a hundred men could not
| take them. His party then opened fire on
| the sheriff posse. The fighting was kept up
probably fortwo hours. TIL only casualty
Tor a time was a flesh wound received by
one OF the sheriff's posse. The besieged
party finally finding things growing too
warm. concluded to make a bold rush
for liberty. As they made the
| rush they were met by a tremendous vol
| lev which killed Craig Tolliver, Bud Toll
yer, jay Toliiver and Hiram Cooper. They
we're ali shot through the heart and died
instantly. Craig Tolliver seemed to have
been a general target, as he was so thor
| oughly riddIed as to be scarcely recogniz-
able. The others Of the gang got through
safely but as they approached the brush
they were met by a volley from the out
side Gordon, consisting OF a line OF men
stationed ten or twelve feet apart all
around the town. This yolley wounded
Cate Toiliver, O twelve-year-old boy, and
| others. all Of whom were captured except
| Cate Tolliver, who crawled into the brush
and escaped. This brought the battle to
an end, and the slain were gathered up
| and laid out on the street, where they
were viewed by the people and the passen-
| gers from the train.